Jerusalem rabbinate emulating Rabbi Meir Rabi?

Guest post by Kosherman:

Well, it seems that Rabbi Meir Rabi had the right idea when introducing cameras for 24/7 monitoring of some establishments that are under his supervision.

No less than the Rabbinate of the Jerusalem Religious Council will now also be installing these devices in eateries that they certify.

Here is the article published on the Jerusalem Kosher News website confirming this development. It adds that the "superfrum" (my description) Badatz Edah Hacharedis also has cameras in certain cases.

 

Tim Tams: "He never gave up hope, he never lost sight of his goal"

Guest post from Kosherman:

Readers of last week's AJN will notice the newspaper celebrating an extraordinary Yom Tov. No, I am not referring to Shavuot but rather to the exciting and fantastic news that Rabbi Moshe Gutnick has convinced Arnotts company to produce "Kosher" Tim Tams.

I must admit that those intellectual giants who administer the news on behalf of our community showed massive restraint when reporting this most amazing event in the history of the Australian Jewish community.

Yes, they actually limited the Tim Tam story to the front cover, an article on page 3 (squeezed in amongst a couple of molestation stories), a Kron cartoon and...drum roll...an editorial!!

To quote their excitement: “It is indeed a milestone that as of today, kosher consumers across Australia can walk into any supermarket or store or petrol station and purchase these iconic Australian biscuits,” gushed KA rabbinic administrator Rabbi Moshe Gutnick.

After all the recent public criticism of our rabbis - usually led by the  same AJN - isn't it  lovely to see them acknowledge that we still have warm-hearted rabbis who positively gush at the thought of Jews piling on the kilos. To quote: "He never gave up hope, he never lost sight of his goal"!

Though not the purpose of my post, a quick Google search will show that while the rabbi gushes on about his achievement, both he and the AJN fail to mention other issues associated with the product - health-wise and ethical.

If any reader is interested, here are a few links which show that there are others in the general community who won't recommend this delicacy:

This YouTube clip (WARNING: a non-tzeniusly dressed woman) lists all the unhealthy and even dangerous ingredients noted on the packaging.

And here's another clip.

And from this website:  The chocolate coating in Tim Tams is not made from cocoa, but a mixture of artificial colours of Tartrazine (102), Sunset Yellow (110), Allura Red (129), Brilliant Blue (133) and Caramel (150). These additives are all suspect carcinogens.

So despite becoming Kosher (and I am surprised at the AJN's excitement about this - it is usually full of advertisements for non-Kosher establishments and products), it is unclear if Tim Tams are good for you.

But back to the Kashrus issue.

Despite the well-known views of Rav M Moshe Feinstein zt'l who permitted the consumption of Chalav Akum (where there are govt supervision and penalties by the authorities for tampering or substitution), it is difficult these days, when Chalav Yisrael is readily available in nearly every communty of observant Jews, to find a Chareidi Rav who will these approve the use of  non-Kosher milk products. The fact is that most poskim hold that non-supervisied milk is actually 'treif' and if used in error the equipment has to be Kashered. This view is especially so amongst Chassidic groups - every single one. And Chabad, to the best of my knowledge, have certain stringencies regarding Chalav Yisroel that many other chassidim and Charedim don't require. Furthermore, even the Rabbanut Kashrut in Israel, which generally has lenient standards, is very strict on this.

See RabbiBakshi Doron re the psak of the Rabanut

RavM Eliyahu

A collection of quotes on the unacceptability of non-Kosher milk

So my question to the good rabbi is "Why?"

You being a thoroughly Frum Jew and a Chabad chassid who I have no doubt that Chalav Akum products have no place in your kitchen. Yes, I understand that being in charge of KA means that you must allow leniencies, especially for items that are necessary for certain groups of consumers. I refer to milk, butter etc.

But is it really so important that Australian Jewry gorge themselves with Original and Double-Coated Tim Tams?

I know that your NSWKA more or less stated (or admitted) that they have less stringent Kashrut standards that their Melbourne counterpart Kosher Australia. But really, is it necessary to go out of your way and make the effort to chase and convince Arnotts to produce 'Kosher' - Chalav Akum - chocolate biscuits? Is there really such a shortage in the 100% Kosher version? Rabbi, please visit Glicks, Grandma Moses (all which are under your supervision), Heimishe, Lichtenstein and the others in Melbourne and Sydney and you will be amazed what a range we already have.

Is it really the function of a Chassidic Rav to produce unnecessary and unhealthy products which are not 100% Kosher. After all, it's not as if Arnotts came begging to you for your Hechsher. By all accounts it was the other way around! In fact the front cover of this issue tells us that this Tim Tam 'miracle' was achieved "after a decade of hard work and  persuasion by the Kashrut Authority".

Imagine, wasting a decade for a half-Kosher unhealthy choclate snack!

Having written all this, today I received an email from that great crowd KCA warning us that only the 200gm (net) packets are acceptable (plus another few conditions).

Although the AJN article also mentioned this, my survey shows that very few people (like indeed myself) actually remember seeing these provisions. Thus anyone missing these may be consuming not only Chalav Akum but also tarfus!

I discussed this post over Yom Tov with my rabbi, who told me that though he agrees with my views 100% and encourages me to publish, he, for a number of reasons, could not publicly make these comments. I gently reminded him about לא תגורו מפני איש...

I have heard whispers that some in the Kashrut industry are getting worried about items being produced under Rabbi Meir Rabi and his "Kosher veYosher" Kashrut label. This is especially so now that Rabbi Rabi has publicly stated that his supervision aims to cater for those who are not overly stringent in their standards. I realise this may affect both KAs, but I suggest that you let him keep that sector of the Kosher market and you remain faithful to the more demanding standards that most Kashrut organisations worldwide are now seeking and which you often represent here in Australia,

And if that means not seeking out new customers like Tim Tams with its non-Kosher milk, so be it.

PS: I am trying to find the time to post my thoughts about that upstart Kashrut organsation "Kosher veYosher". Maybe in the next few days or weeks. 

NSW KA: Protecting its turf?

Penkivil writes:

The NSW KA is again going all out to defend its turf, this time publishing, in my opinion, a libelous statement about the Kashrut organization known as Kosher VeYosher headed by Rabbi Meir Gershon Rabi. Personally I know very little about supervision issues; however I get very suspicious when the 2 majors - the KA twins - jump upon anyone who dares to raise his head and provide an alternative supervision. (If you don’t know exactly what I mean, do a “KA” search on this blog and you’ll soon get an idea.)

Did Rabbi Moshe Gutnick, prior to issuing his statement, give Rabbi Rabi the courtesy of a telephone call to discuss any misgivings? Or did he mimic his colleagues in Melbourne when they too publicly attacked Rabbi Rabi and his organisation without offering him an opportunity to respond? A certain Talmid Chacham that I respect and consult with told me that there is a minimum obligation of שמוע בין אחיכם – and indeed simple mentchlichkeit - requires one to listen to the other side before lashing out. I doubt that this happened in the case of KA v. Kosher VeYosher.

Another seemingly grave Halachic issue is the admission of KA (in their statement) that they are the current supervisors of that establishment. Can they inform us of how that happened? Who made sure that KV were kicked out so KA could get the business? Was there bad-mouthing by one Kashrus ‘business’ against another? Was there any Lashon Haa, Sheker and Rechilus involved? Is there any Halachic justification for such behaviour? And what about Chilul Hashem? What do they think that the non-Jewish proprietors think of rabbis after such an episode? To a layman like myself this sounds quite despicable and appalling. Of course I may have missed some details and if that is the case, I look forward to KA responding here or in another public notice.

Being a Sydneysider, I don’t know Rabbi Rabi. But I am an anti-monopolist and a believer in free trade. And I am convinced that if NSW Kosher consumers had more than one certifying agency, all of us would benefit.

Should ORA be the official arbiter of Australian Kashrut authorities?

A supreme kashrut authority?

Post by Kosherman:

The AJN seems quite excited by the pitch of ORA to get itself appointed by the federal government to sanction Kashrut authorities. The paper has devoted the whole front page, a half page article and even an editorial to this topic. If we didn’t know better, we could get the impression that the focal purpose and objective of the Jewish News is to advance Kashrut in Australia. Yet this is the same publication that in its Simcha supplements advertises Treif caterers and establishments using the deceptive and fraudulent tags of “Kosher-style” and “Kosher-friendly”.

In fact in this same issue you will find this ¼ page colour advertisement for a Treif chicken shop! What a disgrace! What hypocrisy!

On the issue of ORA becoming the patron saint of Kashrut in this country, let me pass on some of the concerns that I have heard from other Shul-goers since the story broke.

  1) What is the situation with smaller and newer Kashrut providers, eg, Rabbi Shalom Silberberg of Sydney Adass and Rabbi Meir Rabi of Kosher veYosher? Will ORA object to their supervision?

 2) Who in ORA will make decisions for approval or non-approval? Will it be rabbis who themselves have a vested and financial (direct or via salary) interest in Kashrut and thus maybe an aversion to new competitors? Or will they be ethical and ensure that no rabbi in involved in Kashrut gets involved? And if so, will the qualifications of any new applicant be left in the hands of ORA members who have no idea or experience in Kashrut matters? Yes, I realise it is a real pickle.

 3) Is it a good idea to get the government involved? Didn’t this happen in some states of the US with quite negative results? Do we really want them looking over our shoulders? How will the Kosher consumer benefit from all this?

4) Did ORA in their submission demand that fraudulent terms like “Kosher-style” and “Kosher-friendly” be proscribed? (And if so does the AJN know about this?) If not, why not?

5) Where can we read the entire submission by ORA? Why was there no public consultation with the main stakeholders, ie, Kosher consumers?

 Many other questions are being asked and there is no shortage of criticism. A couple of local Jewish blogs have now joined the fray as you can read here and here.

On behalf of AJNWatch I invite our readers to comment on this matter and offer their ideas on the best way to go forward.

PS: Did anyone else notice the irony of that AJN front page being shared by an advertisement for an establishment under the supervision of non-ORA member, Rabbi Meir Rabi?

AJN report on Kosher veYosher

Took them an extra week, but the AJN finally catches up with AJNWatch...

Kosher veYosher joins the majors!

Guest post from Kosherman:

Following the recent almighty brouhaha around the soft lafa matzos produced under the supervision of Rabbi Meir Rabi and his Kosher veYosher organization, things have moved up a notch as we see in a half-page advertisement in this week’s AJN, from the Sanitarium company who have decided to come under Rabbi Rabi’s hashgacha.

Whether this will delight or upset Australia’s other Kashrus groups is still to be seen but no doubt Kosher consumers will welcome the additional products into their pantries.

A rumor in the Kashrus industry is that despite some Sanitarium products appearing on current Kashrus lists, there have been very few visits to their factories by the authorities. We are awaiting denial or confirmation of this allegation.

Meanwhile another rumor doing the rounds is that even more products will be available in the near future featuring the Losher veYosher stamp.

Time will tell.